Twisted

Woody Realizations

Annabella's legs burned. Her lungs begged for air. She considered stopping, but was she far enough away? The sun had long ago risen and set once again, and she hadn't stopped once. Annabella decided it was time to stop. Even just for a moment. She hoped the woman had been kind enough to pack food and water.

Annabella opened the bag and it revealed enough food and water to last a few days, along with a mirror that was nearly identical to the one the woman had held to show Maddison's discussion. Annabella ignored the mirror for now, and instead opened a bottle of water. She sunk down to the floor, leaning against a tree, for support and the wet grass, attached itself to her clothes. A pack of wolves cried out in the background, but Annabella ignored it, they sounded far away. Instead, she focused on the food to calm her swirling stomach.

"What am I going to do?" Annabella asked herself, staring at the sky. She regretted her decision to run, she should have stayed. There was surely no way that her mother would actually kill her. 

Suddenly, a glow came from her bag, drawing Annabella's eyes down. What she saw was the mirror, now alight it what seemed to be flames. Something told her to reach down and touch it, and hesitantly Annabella followed the impulse. Surprisingly, the flaming mirror did not burn her. Instead, it morphed into a picture of her beautiful mother, waking up lazily in bed with the man Annabella had seen in the images the unknown woman had shown her.

"This proves nothing," Annabella spoke aloud, for no known reason. Perhaps she was talking to this magic mirror she held in her hand. It didn't respond, it just continued to show her the image of her mother in bed with the unknown man. It still proved nothing. Annabella knew her mother would move on from her father one day. It had been years since his death. 

Annabella put the mirror away and the empty food wrappers along with the half drank water back in her bag. Annabella sighed and decided to keep walking away. Further and further from the place she once lived and where her father called home. Although, she had to admit it wasn't really a home anymore. She had felt imprisoned since her father died. She'd always put her mother's actions down to grief, but now she wasn't so sure. She felt stuck. Annabella had always known she would leave her mother one day, but at 17 she felt like it was too soon. 

Annabella kept walking, feeling no need to run anymore. Her body was already exhausted, the short break had barely helped. Annabella focused solely on pushing one foot in front of the other.  Her stomach twisted and swirled, punishing her from moving so soon after eating and barely allowing it to digest any of what she had eaten. Exhaustion was quickly creeping up on her, her body became slower and stiffer. Eventually, she fell, completely asleep on the dirty, hard, wet, unforgiving ground. 

♡♡♡♡♡

Andrew Lincoin wandered through the woods, as he often did since the loss of his pack, in search of food. He'd often find stray bunnies, which he found easy prey. On rare occasions, he would find bigger animals, the odd dear that had the misfortune of gliding into Andrew's path. However, this time he would find something much bigger, and much less edible. Instead of s tasty meal, he stumbled upon Annabella's sleeping body. She looked so peaceful, yet exhausted. She was beautiful, much too young for him though. He picked up her small, light body. Bringing her back to the home he shared with his son. 

On the way back to the hut, Andrew spotted a bunny. He knew he should disregard the girl, and get the bunny, but he couldn't bring himself to. An odd need to protect the young girl in his arms, overruled his instinct to provide food for himself and his son. So he kept walking, deciding to come back when the girl was safely at home. 

"Jason!" Andrew called out when he was finally back at the hut. "Son?" He questioned. It took a while until finally, his son appeared from inside the hut. The boy was only about 14, his golden skin was glowing with sweat. Something that happened a lot since his first shift last month. Andrew was worried, his son should've been adjusting better. Instead, he was getting sick. Sicker than any wolf should be. After all, he should be an alpha. Andrew considered it because Jason never had the chance to have a pack. He knew that would take its toll, especially on younger alphas. If only Jeramy were still alive. He would know exactly how to help, he was a healer after all. 

"Yes, dad?" Jason asked, his golden hair falling in his eyes. "Who's that?" Jason pointed towards Annabella, who was still peacefully asleep in Andrew's arms. 

"I don't know Jason. She was just lying there, asleep on the forest floor. I'm going to put her to sleep in my bed, then go and get food. Can you get some water from the well?" Andrew asked, for the first time since his first shift, Jason's eyes lit up. He nodded happily and shifted into his golden blond wolf, running off towards the well. 

Andrew placed Annabella's sleeping body onto his small, simple bed. Noticing now the bag that hung across Annabella's body. He opened it to reveal food, water and the mysterious mirror. He placed the bag in the kitchen and rushed off into the woods to find meat. It was something werewolves like himself and his son longed for. The two males left Annabella alone as she slept soundly on the small, soft bed. 

♡♡♡♡♡

It was late when Maddison dragged herself properly out of bed. She hadn't a care in the world. She woke up, with a handsome, immortal man by her side. He was able to do so many things, Jeramy couldn't. Both in the bedroom and to others. With such a powerful man by her side, a man she had stolen from another woman, she knew nobody could get in her way.

As usual, when she woke up, Maddison walked silently past Annabella's door. Maddison peered in, expecting the despised daughter to be sat somewhere in her room. Maybe even sleeping as she sometimes would. However, for once, Annabella was not there. Frustrated, Maddison wondered around the house, calling Annabella's name. All of her shoutings woke up her handsome immortal man, using his unnatural speed he was by his mistresses side in a matter of moments. 

"What seems to be the problem? You never usually care about Annabella's whereabouts." Maddison shook her head at the man's words. 

"Roderick, she's not here." Maddison was frustrated, and that came out clearly in her voice. "How am I supposed to kill her, if I don't even know where she is?" Maddison demanded. 

"You've decided to kill her then?" Roderick asked, a smirk on his youthful face. 

"No," Maddison stated. "But I at least need to be able to keep my eye on her. I'll need at least the opportunity to. She cannot be allowed to continue to grow older. As her beauty grows so does her power." 

"My dear, I'm sure everything will be fine. Look in the mirror if you are so concerned. She's probably dead in some ditch somewhere." Roderick's words soothed Maddison, who realized that was most likely true. If her foolish daughter had left the home, there was no way she could survive. 

"I'll look in the mirror. The brat is probably dead somewhere." Maddison agreed, the two calmly walked to her dresser where she picked up her mirror, given to her by the witch. "Annabella." She spoke, the mirror glowed and morphed, showing a picture of Annabella, silently sleeping in an unknown bed. Maddison growled in irritation. "She must die." Maddison decided at that moment. 

"And I know just who will do it." Roderick's youthful smile looked evil and his eyes showed no emotion. Maddison nodded in agreement.